Bongomin Felix, Kibone Winnie, Nantale Ritah, Lebu Sarah, Awekonimungu Byron, Musoke Phillip, Ebbs Daniel S, Beardsley Rachel, Muoghalu Chimdi, Ochaya Stephen, Manga Musa
Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda.
Faculty of Health Sciences, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.
PLoS One. 2025 Aug 22;20(8):e0329970. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0329970. eCollection 2025.
Anemia during pregnancy is a significant global public health issue, associated with adverse outcomes for both the mother and the newborn. While the prevalence and impact of anemia in pregnancy have been well-documented in general populations, the burden and severity of anemia among pregnant refugee women particularly those residing in the West Nile region of Uganda, remain unknown. Our study aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of anemia in this specific population to address this critical knowledge gap.
Between 1st April and 30th June 2023, we conducted a cross-sectional study among pregnant women attending the antenatal care clinic at 3 health centers serving the refugee communities in Adjumani district, Uganda. Anemia in pregnancy was defined as a hemoglobin (Hb) level of < 11.0 g/dl and microcytosis as a mean corpuscular volume of < 76 fL. Multivariable logistic regression was done to assess for the independent predictors of anemia in pregnancy. Data were analyzed in Stata version 15.0.
We enrolled 304 participants. The mean age of the participants was 25.4 years with a standard deviation of 4.9 years. The prevalence of anemia was 52.6% (95% CI 46.9-58.4). Of these, 85 (28.0%) were classified as mild, 73 (24.1%) moderate, and 2 (0.7%) had severe anemia. The median Hb was 10.8g/dL (10.1-11.7). Forty-one (25.6%) of those with anemia had microcytosis. Having at least a secondary/tertiary education level (aOR: 1.51, 95%CI: 0.98-1.78, p < 0.001), being single (aOR: 1.77, 95%CI: 1.53-1.93, p < 0.001) and parity >4 (aOR: 1.51, 95%CI: 0.98-1.78, p < 0.001) were associated with higher odds of having anemia.
Anemia in pregnancy is prevalent among pregnant refugee women in the West Nile Region of Uganda. Our findings suggest the need for targeted interventions such as health education about the consequences of anemia, promotion of early antenatal care (ANC) attendance, and provision of iron and folate supplementation during pregnancy, to potentially reduce the burden of anemia in this vulnerable population.
孕期贫血是一个重大的全球公共卫生问题，与母亲和新生儿的不良结局相关。虽然孕期贫血的患病率和影响在一般人群中已有充分记录，但怀孕难民妇女，尤其是居住在乌干达西尼罗河地区的难民妇女的贫血负担和严重程度仍然未知。我们的研究旨在确定这一特定人群中贫血的患病率和严重程度，以填补这一关键的知识空白。
2023年4月1日至6月30日期间，我们在乌干达阿朱马尼区为难民社区服务的3个健康中心的产前保健诊所对孕妇进行了一项横断面研究。孕期贫血定义为血红蛋白（Hb）水平<11.0 g/dl，小红细胞症定义为平均红细胞体积<76 fL。进行多变量逻辑回归以评估孕期贫血的独立预测因素。数据在Stata 15.0版本中进行分析。
我们招募了304名参与者。参与者的平均年龄为25.4岁，标准差为4.9岁。贫血患病率为52.6%（95%CI 46.9 - 58.4）。其中，85人（28.0%）被归类为轻度贫血，73人（24.1%）为中度贫血，2人（0.7%）为重度贫血。Hb中位数为10.8g/dL（10.1 - 11.7）。贫血患者中有41人（25.6%）患有小红细胞症。至少接受过中等/高等教育（调整后比值比：1.51，95%CI：0.98 - 1.78，p < 0.001）、单身（调整后比值比：1.77，95%CI：1.53 - 1.93，p < 0.001）和平产次数>4（调整后比值比：1.51，95%CI：0.98 - 1.78，p < 0.001）与贫血几率较高相关。
孕期贫血在乌干达西尼罗河地区的怀孕难民妇女中普遍存在。我们的研究结果表明，需要采取有针对性的干预措施，如开展关于贫血后果的健康教育、促进早期产前检查（ANC）的参与以及在孕期提供铁和叶酸补充剂, 以潜在地减轻这一弱势群体的贫血负担。
